Genealogy: Garshin, Gvozdetsky, Fedjunin families

Letter 1:
Dear Mr. Garshin:
I came across your website today. I speak Ukrainian and Polish and understand some Russian. However, it was very difficult to understand your website with my limited knowledge of Russian. The reason I am writing is because my mother is from the family Garshin. Her name is Tamara Garshin and she was born in Simferopol, Crimea. I have a cousin (Elizaveta Garshin) of that same name who is an eye specialist in Moscow. We are the descendant of the writer V.Garshin. There are other family members who are in Moscow and in California. I have found them through the Internet and have even had a small family re-union. On the V. Garshins side I contacted and met the descendants of his mother (nee Akimova). They live here in NYC and are Americans. So you see, out family has gone through a lot because of the Revolution and the following years of terror. I so hope you can speak English. I forwarded your site to my cousin Katya Shelekhova who is also descendant from one of the Garshin brothers. She is Russian and can speak and write the language fluently. Hope to hear from you in the near future.
HS

Letter 2:
...I am very happy to finally find more family members that are still alive and well. For the longest time (try 35 years) my mother thought her whole family has been killed and she and my cousin were the only Garshins left in this world. I have been researching the name for the past 6 years. I live in New York City, NY. (USA). My father was Ukrainian/Polish and his name was Jaroslaw. My son is 11 and his name is Alexander. I am studying to be a Registered Nurse. Although I already have a university degree in International Marketing it was time to make a career change...

Letter 3:
There is a very simple answer to your question. The Garshins who lived in Crimea and in Ukraine were persecuted by Stalin and his henchman. My whole family was exiled to Siberia (including old aunts who were in their 80's). My grandmother lost her mind there and all she kept on saying is "I am so cold". My Uncle Valentyn G. wound up in a camp where he tried to commit suicide. He lived. After years there and his final release he had to stay in Komi for the rest of his life (as a former prisoner he could not move away). The whole family had the title "Vrag Naroda". My mother herself had a 25 year sentence on her for simply being who she was. She escaped with my father by marrying him when she was only 17 years old. The rest of the family refused to leave although their properties, homes etc. were confiscated. They paid for this stubborness with their lives. Not only is my mother a Garshin descendant on her father's side, her mother was a member of the Kara-Murza family (Karamzin). This was a family secret that was very carefully hidden so that mom as a little child would not open her mouth and say somethng. My mother did not know if anybody survived this Communist Terror. There was not Internet in her generation. I grew up also not knowing any other family members. Only in 1998 by doing research did I find others looking for lost family ties. Right now I am finally finding descendants of the Karamzin family in France. The search for all of you is slow and is taking years. I do it as a hobby because it is important to once again find the remnants of all these families that have been so brutally torn apart and scattered all over the world.
Hania.

Letter 4:
My full name is Hanna not Anna. That's where the Hania comes from. Sure, you can put whatever part of my letter you want on your website. Sorry but I have never heard the Gvozdetsky name before I read your website. I will look it up though. The Garshins are a very proud and stubborn family. These are specific characteristics that seem to dominate. They are very intellectual and excel in arts and sciences. They are not always very easy to get along with.